The Second Rising Of Arthur Pendragon
by livebyinsanity
Summary: Voldemort has attacked Hogwarts. Harry and the DA have fled. All hope seems to be lost. Until, Arthur returns! Friendship Harry/Ginny, Neville/Luna, Merthur, some OCS. Takes place in Season 5 finale/OOTP. Written for valuablenicola. Now COMPLETE :)
1. Prologue

_A Harry Potter & Merlin crossover_

_Written for valuablenicola._

**THE SECOND RISING OF ARTHUR PENDRAGON**

**Prologue**

"You gave me no choice." Mordred stated as he thrust his sword through Arthur's chest. With a choked grunt, Arthur slumped to the ground.

From his vantage point atop the cliffs, Merlin shifted his gaze, as though attuned to the site of his friend's pained cry. Howling with rage and panic, Merlin used his magic to propel himself towards Arthur's prone form. His 'Dragoon' disguise was stripped away as Merlin cradled Arthur to his chest, feeling frantically for a pulse. It was feeble and weakening.

"No." Merlin moaned. "I can't let you die."

He looked into the sky, instinctively forming a plan to get Arthur to the Lake of Avalon.

"Oh drakon!" Merlin bellowed, summoning Kilgharrah.

The red dragon arrived. Merlin grabbed Arthur tightly and latched onto Kilgharrah's back.

As the dragon took off, Merlin's eyes were a burning gold with determination.

Those eyes were still determined as Merlin leapt to the ground and half carried half dragged Arthur to the lake. In his haste, Merlin tripped, swearing as his bottom impacted with the floor. Merlin flailed, scrambling to get up, but was pinned by Arthur's body, which was sprawled above him. Merlin wailed. He could feel that Arthur's heart was as still as stone.

"Merlin." Kilgharrah said. "There is nothing you can do."

"I've failed." Merlin responded numbly.

"No young warlock," The dragon continued, "For all that you have dreamt of building has come to pass."

"I can't lose him!" Merlin screamed in denial. "He's my friend!"

Kilgharrah shook his head pityingly. "Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold. Arthur is not just a King, he is the Once and Future King. Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again."

Merlin sobbed as Kilgharrah spoke his farewells and flew away. Merlin tucked Arthur's head beneath his chin, brushing his lips against the blonde man's forehead. For several minutes, Merlin was motionless, savouring his final moments with his friend.

Then, Merlin carried Arthur towards the lake, placing him delicately onto a wooden boat. Excalibur was thrown into the water.

"I'll wait for you to come back." Merlin whispered as Arthur drifted into the distance. "I'll find you. I promise."

Meanwhile, Mordred couldn't help but contemplate the affection between Merlin and Arthur. He had been mesmerised by the brunette's charge across the battlefield to reach Arthur. Mordred had been frozen, watching in fascination, as Merlin desperately searched for a trace of life. Similarly, Mordred recollected that during his time as a Camelot knight, Arthur constantly looked out for Merlin's wellbeing.

It was a stark contrast to Morgana's apathy and cruelty, Mordred thought bitterly.

Mordred observed the battle's aftermath. How had his love for sweet, gentle Kara been warped by Morgana so that he became a mindless weapon for violence and bloodshed? Mordred shook his head in disgust. In that moment, Mordred knew he had his allegiance was wrong. He would later use his dragon-breathed sword to behead Morgana. Later still, he would give all the credit to Merlin and help spread the legacy of Merlin, Emerys – the greatest warlock who had ever lived.

~x~O~x~

Harry swore as he dodged spell fire by diving behind a statue of Merlin – the greatest wizard of all time.

"There's too many of them!" Hermione shrieked from her position across the narrow corridor, wedged between a suit of armour and a portrait of the Hogwarts founders.

"Ruducto! Ruducto!" Ron bellowed, blasting some of the death eaters back.

Harry grimaced as he ducked once more, this time avoiding errant chunks of flying wall plaster.

Moments earlier, Harry and the DA had been practising in the Room of Requirement when Harry's demonstration of the Patronus charm was interrupted by the appearance of Dobby. At first, Harry had panicked, fearing that Umbridge had uncovered the group's existence. However, Dobby's real message made Harry's stomach fill with dread.

"Men with black cloaks and silver masks!" The house elf squeaked.

"Death eaters?" Harry asked as the rest of the room gasped.

"Yes!" Dobby confirmed. "In the castle! The great Harry Potter sir must stop them!"

Hermione pulled Harry's arm sharply, preventing him from running off in haste.

"Does Dumbledore know yet?" She questioned insistently.

Dobby's ears drooped. "No." He stated softly. "Fudgey had him removed today for interfering with Ministry policies. House elfs cannot find him."

Outraged voices sounded around the room – Harry and Ron's among the loudest.

Hermione started before composing herself. "Professor McGonagall then. Has she alerted the Order?"

"No, Miss Minnie is at the ministry fixing things!" Dobby cried. "The great Harry Potter sir must act right nows."

That was the last straw for Harry. There was nobody else at Hogwarts who could deal with this. He raised his wand, gesturing that Ron and Hermione should follow him to combat the threat. Dobby popped away, satisfied. However, a rush of movement caused Harry to turn around. The entire DA were twiddling with their robes and clamouring to join the fight. Surprisingly, they were led by Neville.

"We're coming with you Harry." Neville declared, unperturbed by the raven haired boy's glare. "Let's not waste time arguing. We're going to help you and you need our help."

Harry stared at Neville stonily who stared resolutely back.

"No Neville, you don't need to come. I'll take care of it myself." Harry growled.

Ginny stepped forwards beside Neville and crossed her arms.

It was Luna who settled the matter by drifting breezily out of the door. The mild stand-off dissipated as the DA rushed to follow her. Outside, they encountered hundreds of students fleeing towards their dormitories. A terrified Ravenclaw first year reported seeing a congregation of black-robed people in the Great Hall and the DA moved like a pack downstairs towards that location.

"Stupefy!" Neville shouted as the DA encountered death eaters on the fifth floor. In the resulting fray, Harry, Ron and Hermione became separated from the others and found themselves fighting to hold off death eaters on the fourth floor.

Ron winced as a cutting curse grazed his leg. He stumbled, almost falling into Harry who was still casting from behind the statue of Merlin.

"There's too many of them!" Hermione yelled again. "Harry, we have to get out of here! Retreat!"

Harry glanced around. They were being peppered by spells; running out from the safety of their protections would leave them defenceless. But at the same time, Harry knew that Hermione was right too. Harry grimaced with indecision when the death eaters were suddenly attacked from behind by another black-robed figure.

The trio prepared to attack when the figure lowered his hood, revealing himself as Snape. Harry was wrong. There was still an Order member left at Hogwarts.

"Get out of here Potter. The Dark Lord is coming." Snape ordered. "He has obtained a device which breaks down Anti-Apparition wards. The castle's wards have fallen. The Dark Lord is apparating onto the grounds now."

As death eaters began to regroup at the far end of the corridor, Snape pushed Harry out of the way, towards the staircase the trio had previously descended from. Snape pivoted, creating covering fire for Ron and Hermione to flee.

"So what do we bloody do now?" Ron panted.

Harry had no idea.

Hermione thought quickly. "Let's get the DA and get back to the Room of Requirement. At the least the death eaters won't know how to find us there."

Harry, Ron and Hermione sprinted upwards, bursting onto the fifth floor. Much fewer death eaters had breached this level. The DA were scattered in small group skirmishes. Harry ran through them, screaming at his schoolmates to 'get back to the room' while occasionally stopping to aim at a masked death eater.

Harry continued his charge into the sixth floor. However, Harry was startled when he spotted Luna tangle a death eater in ropes accompanied by three girls he didn't recognise – two with black hair and a brunette.

The brunette introduced herself in French. "Nous sommes les etudiants de Beauxbatons."

"Nicola!" One of the raven haired girls, Suzy, snapped, slapping her friend, Nicola on the arm.

"Parle anglais sil vous plait." The other demanded, exasperated.

Nicola sighed. "Alice, don't be rude."

There was a brief silence which was broken by Luna.

"They're exchange students from Beauxbatons." She explained. "Just now, I saw Suzy hit Nicola on the head with an umbrella so I asked them to help us out…And I wanted to find out why she had an umbrella."

"Don't worry, they're just as sane as I am."

Harry gaped at her.

"We're insane, not sane." Alice commented.

Hermione caught up, catching the tail end of the conversation. "Well, let's just get going."

Harry led the DA up to the seventh floor and hurried to the Room of Requirement's entrance.

_We need a place that will be safe from Voldemort. We need a place that will be safe from Voldemort. We need a place that will be safe from Voldemort._

_A/N: Reviews please?_


	2. Merlin! Arthur!

**THE SECOND RISING OF ARTHUR PENDRAGON**

**Chapter One:  
**

The door appeared. Harry barraged through and the DA poured in afterwards.

However, instead of entering a room, Harry felt a tug at his navel and found himself uprooted from the ground and spinning away at high speeds. Harry panicked; the sensation was relatable to travelling by Portkey.

In a typical Portkey-like manner, when Harry landed once more, his knees buckled, causing his bottom to connect with the floor. His glasses were dislodged. Seconds later, the rest of the DA materialised. They all gaped, surveying their new surroundings. Harry pushed his spectacles back onto his nose. He too, gasped, as his vision came into focus.

They were on a boat.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Nicola squealed. "We're on a boat! I love boats! I love ships! Lots and lots of ships! That's why I love marinas – because I love ships!"

The DA, already disgruntled with their sudden transportation, muttered confusedly.

Nicola pouted. "If only I could English."

Alice sighed. "What Nicola meant to say is that we, Nicola and I, happen to be quite skilled at captaining ships."

Hermione's brain was working in overdrive to get over her stupor. "Well, that's good." She explained slowly. "Because while we're on a boat, we have no specific geographic location. This means that even with You-Know-Who, Voldemort's ward-breaking device, he will be unable to apparate straight to us."

Harry breathed in relief. The Room had delivered them to safety after all.

Unfortunately, their relief was short-lived when a muggle pirate ship was spotted on the horizon.

"Fuck." Nicola muttered.

"Don't swear." Suzy reprimanded instinctively.

The DA squinted, temporarily blinded by glare as light reflected off metal. For a moment, Alice thought that it was the pirated themselves sparkling. However, when the DA could see clearly again, they realised that the pirates were carrying the metal objects, which were in fact, guns.

"Blimey! What the bloody hell is a gun?" Ron asked cluelessly.

His question was somewhat answered when the pirates began to open fire. Their bullets smashed into boat's hull, causing it to start rocking violently.

Harry drew his wand and bellowed, "PROTEGO!"

Harry gritted his teeth and strained but was unable to hold the bullets back. The attempts by other DA members were similarly unsuccessful.

As the boat's motion became more volatile, Suzy began to lose her balance and stumble in disorientation. Suzy's shriek was so loud and piercing that even the distant pirates stopped to cover their ears. This caused Alice and Nicola to cringe before rushing to their friend's aid. They each grabbed one of Suzy's arms, stopping her from falling over.

Alice scowled at Nicola. "Between your incessant squealing and Suzy's screaming, one day, I'm going to go deaf."

Suzy's snapped retort was cut off as the boat veered sharply to her left, flinging her to the floor.

"Shouldn't you two be trying to control this boat?" Suzy was miffed.

"Oh shit." Her companions groaned prompting Suzy to slap Nicola once more; Nicola pouted because for some reason, Suzy never hit Alice.

Alice ran back towards the controls, cursing her and Nicola's stupidity for abandoning them or at least failing to use autopilot in the first place. During that time, the boat had become even more destabilised. Alice slipped, crashing into Dean Thomas who in turn collided with Ginny who in fright cast her signature Bat-Bogey Hex. The large flapping bogies increased the DA's panic, adding to the chaos. Ron, who had been targeting (and missing) the pirate ship with blasting curses, was blinded and subsequently hit the DA boat's gunnel instead. Pieces of the gunnel exploded outwards; the force flung Ron's wand out of his palms and the DA yelled as fragments of boat material careened into them. Neville leapt over to Luna, shielding her with his own body. Hermione wheezed, clutching where she had been struck in the stomach.

"Harry!" Ginny's abrupt cry forced the DA to freeze in surprise.

Because Harry Potter was the 'boy who lived', 'saviour of the wizarding world' and widely regarded as the 'Chosen one' – the only one who could defeat Voldemort.

Then, there was horror.

Because the redhead was leaning over Harry, who had been knocked unconscious onto the ground, a trickle of blood flowing down the side of his face.

The pirates kept firing.

~x~O~x~

For what seemed like an eternity, Arthur was drifting. It was as though he was skimming under the surface of water. Arthur didn't know why, though. Arthur was certain he was dead. He could remember Mordred's blade coursing through his body as though it was yesterday. Arthur knew that there was no way he could have survived that.

Yet, here he was.

Somewhere.

Somehow, he knew that time was passing. But how much time? Months? Years? Occasionally, Arthur had seen blurred faces and heard indistinct voices. He thought that they were somewhat familiar, resembling Guinevere, Gwaine, Leon. He never encountered Merlin. Arthur wondered why. He missed Merlin, having not seen his brown-haired

friend since before the Battle of Camlann.

Over time, life carried on without him.

So, Arthur was adrift.

But today was different. Today, Arthur found himself drawn to something. For the first time, he felt like he had a sense of purpose. Arthur felt like he was floating upwards. Breaking past water's surface. Travelling, as though little more than a ghost, through the bottom of a ship.

Then, Arthur found himself solidifying. He blinked slowly and he could see for the first time in he-didn't-know-how-many years.

Arthur observed his surroundings curiously. He was standing in a shady corner of the ship's deck. Arthur saw people brandishing metal weapons, spread out across the deck. These were the pirates. Arthur's brow furrowed. He zeroed in on the pirates' weapons. How much time had to have passed for the sword to become so different and unrecognisable? Arthur scrutinised the gun butt, baffled when he compared it to the hilt of a sword. Additionally, the blade had shortened considerably and Arthur wondered why the blade was now made from the same material as the hilt. How could that work? Arthur shuddered thinking about it. Arthur reached for the sword holstered by his hip. Thankfully Excalibur remained unchanged from when he had last handled it and unknown to Arthur, when Merlin had tossed it into the Lake of Avalon.

Just when Arthur had wrapped his head around this strange development of weaponry, Arthur's sense of hearing intensified. His head pivoted towards the source of loud 'bang' noises where he noticed that the pirates were firing at another nearby ship. Arthur shrugged. He was wrong. The guns were not a type of sword after all. They had to be a type of bow! However, regardless of what type of swords or bows they were using, the pirates' malicious firing and ruthlessness reminded Arthur of his enemies, the Saxons.

Arthur fumed.

So, he rushed out from the shadows, drawing Excalibur. Arthur charged towards the nearest pirate, stabbing the dark-haired man between the ribs. Before the fallen man managed to scream, Arthur had moved on and beheaded the next pirate.

The pirates were so shell shocked by Arthur's appearance that they froze like statues.

They were easy targets for Arthur who did not hesitate before taking them all down.

Arthur smiled, like he always did after a job well done. He was also satisfied, feeling like he had managed some revenge over the Saxons and Morgana's army, who had caused him to be initially killed.

Arthur looked around contemplatively.

It was then that he realised that the DA were waving and cheering at him.

~x~O~x~

"Where did that guy with the sword come from?" Parvati exclaimed.

"I don't know but he killed all of those pirates." Seamus remarked.

"Thank Merlin." Lavender breathed, palms covering her face. "We're alive."

~x~O~x~

"_Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again."_

~x~O~x~

Arthur paused in the doorway.

"Is he alright?" He inquired.

Ginny was holding a strip of white clothing to Harry's head, staunching the flow of the raven haired wizard's blood.

"Yeah, fine." Hermione said wearily. "I just wish we had found some bandages."

Earlier, the DA had pirated the pirate ship, finding a large stash of food.

"We don't want wrackspurts to get into his head." Luna commented dreamily.

"You mean an infection?" Arthur asked.

Luna simply shrugged. Ron made to snort derisively but stopped once Neville glared at him.

Arthur sighed. He wished Merlin was here. Merlin would know how to deal with infections.

With that wish in mind, Arthur turned around leaving the room. He continued to explore the boat, making sure to avoid the DA members who would hug and kiss him as they professed their thanks; or worst still, the girls who would snigger as they wanted to 'feel his sword.' This led Arthur up to the boats' deck.

He leaned against the railing at the edge of the boat.

Arthur inhaled a breath of fresh air. It smelled of to the ocean – a far cry from the woody scent of Camelot. It wasn't just the salt that was different in the air.

It was also the magic.

Compared to his father, Arthur considered himself to be extremely tolerant of magic. However, he still felt wary of magic wielding individuals because they tended to pose the greatest threat to Camelot. Arthur frowned. He was surrounded by magical beings who had almost been slaughtered by non-magical people. Pondering, Arthur realised he would have to get over his aversions sooner or later.

~x~O~x~

Neville wrapped his arms around Luna. According to her, hugs after a sudden battle were an effective way to scare off nargles. Neville just felt like giving Luna a hug. After surviving the death eater attacks and then muggle pirates, Neville just wanted to reassure himself that she was alright.

A flash of red outside the doorway caused Neville's head to jerk upwards.

"What's the matter, Neville?" Hermione queried where she was attempting to transfigure some of the cloth into bandages; unfortunately, her hands were shaky with fatigue and she could not concentrate enough to power the spell.

"Nothing." Neville mumbled while he parted reluctantly from Luna and walked outside.

Fred and George Weasley beamed at him.

"Oi Neville!" Fred started.

"How's Harrykins?" George added.

"Hope he's okay," interjected Fred

"Because we're throwing a party"

Neville mouthed blankly, "Party?"

"Celebrating the fact that - " Fred carried on.

"We're all still alive" The other twin said

Neville had no opportunity to respond because Ron stepped outside, as though he had an inbuilt sensor to 'parties' which would surely have 'food.'

"Of course, we will all be at the party." Ron said happily.

"Excellent Ronnykins!" The twins chorused before running away, cackling voraciously.

~x~O~x~

Elsewhere, an elderly man with a long, white beard waved goodbye to the young girl he had just treated from dragon pox. He smiled at her before shutting the front door and retreating back into his house.

The old man moved into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He twisted the faucet and splashed water onto his face. When he looked up again, the man's white beard was gone, replaced with short dark hair.

Merlin sighed. For centuries, he had travelled between remote wizarding towns across many countries, pretending to be an elderly healer, healing people while hoping that Arthur would return soon. Over time, as wand magic took over from the rituals of the Old Religion and muggle technology replaced using horses for transport, Merlin's optimism began to wane. Merlin became a recluse – reluctant to befriend other people, knowing that they would die soon enough, leaving him alone once more. After Arthur's passing, Merlin had found out about Gwaine's death, then Gaius', eventually followed by Guinevere and the remaining knights. Merlin did not believe that he would be able to cope with suffering those feelings of loss again.

Merlin saw his eyes flash gold. He did that sometimes, instinctively searching around him for _his _magic. He was used to being met with nothingness.

Only this occasion was different.

This time Merlin's magic reached out and felt the reawakening of a millennium old connection with destiny.

That was how he knew that Arthur Pendragon had risen again.

Merlin had to protect Arthur.

Merlin grinned. Arthur was back!

With a small squeal of joy, Merlin focused his magic, ignoring long-forgotten incantations and willed himself to get back to wherever Arthur was.

~x~O~x~

There was a tremendous splash. Arthur was momentarily blinded by a fine mist of water.

Arthur blinked, peering over the side of the boat.

"Arthur?" The figure in the water called out.

Arthur recognised the figure's voice. "Merlin? Is that you?"

"Yes." Merlin grabbed Arthur's outstretched hand, allowing him to clamour onto the boat.

The men gazed at each other.

"Merlin!"

"Arthur!"

~x~O~x~

_A/N: Thank you very much for reading! Reviews will be greatly appreciated :)_


	3. I'm Sorry

**THE SECOND RISING OF ARTHUR PENDRAGON**

**Chapter Two:**

Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm and pulled him back inside the boat. The blonde had a huge smile stretching across his face, so huge it appeared 'simpleton'.

Arthur charged into the room where the party was being set up, startling the DA members who pivoted to stare at the duo curiously.

"Everyone!" Arthur greeted them. "I have no idea how he managed to turn up here but this is my friend, Merlin."

"Merlin's beard!" Ron gasped. "It's _Merlin!"_

"_The _Merlin?" The crowd wondered.

"Oh!" Lavender gushed. "It's Merlin! I can't believe it! Merlin! The greatest wizard to ever be alive!"

"Wizard?" Arthur frowned; his eyes narrowed as he studied Merlin carefully. "Don't be ridiculous. Merlin doesn't have magic."

Merlin fidgeted.

"This is stupid." Arthur insisted. "Why would they say that?"

"Arthur," Merlin responded nervously. "I...I'm a sorcerer."

"You're lying." Interjected Arthur. "I would know."

Merlin shook his head rapidly, blinking back tears. "I have magic and I use it for you. Only for you."

Merlin swished his palm, causing a small flame to appear. "I always wanted to tell you but - "

"I can't believe you." Arthur interrupted flatly. "You've lied to me all this time?

"Stay away from me."

Arthur turned around and marched purposely out of the room. He ignored the pleas of 'no, Arthur wait' and did not see Merlin bury his head in his arms.

~x~O~x~

Harry fumed, batting Ginny away. She was becoming too clingy in his opinion.

"Stop fussing over me!" He snapped at her, for what had to be the hundredth time. "It's just a small bump on the head. I'll be alright."

Ginny reeled and moved away, hurt. She was slightly comforted upon seeing Neville and Luna direct understanding smiles at her.

Harry grimaced as Hermione sat down wearily beside him. He had no doubt that the bushy-haired brunette was reviewing all the books she had read about infections and concussions. Harry's jaw clenched. He didn't want to hear any of it. He wanted to get out to the party so that he could reassure the rest of the DA that he was fine and not dying, like some of the circulating rumours were suggestion.

Harry opened his mouth to express his irritation when he heard loud footsteps approaching. Ron flew inside.

"Guys." Ron wheezed. "Merlin is here."

"Merlin!" Hermione jumped.

Ron hastily rehashed his recount of Merlin's arrival and subsequent fallout with Arthur which culminated in Ron convincing Merlin coming to meet Harry.

"Oh Ron! You have the emotional range of a teaspoon!" Hermione cried. "When someone is upset, you are supposed to try to make them feel better. You know – being supportive, asking if they are alright. You're not supposed to say 'Oh hi you're a great wizard who could help us defeat Voldemort so you should come with me and meet Harry!'"

Harry shushed Ron before the redhead could blurt out a retort. The timing was opportune because in that moment, Merlin wandered inside aimlessly, staring at the walls as he entered.

Luna murmured to Neville sadly, saying that his mind had been infested by nargles.

~x~O~x~

Alice swore as she failed repeatedly to put her earrings on.

"Come on!" Suzy whined in exasperation as she played idly with Nicola's hair. "You've been taking ages and we are already late for the party."

Alice glowered at the snickering duo. She fixed up her jewellery and stormed past her friends. Nicola laughed and caught up quickly. However, Suzy lagged behind, tottering on a pair of platformed heels.

"Suzy, I don't understand why your heels have to be so ridiculously high when you can't walk in them." Alice remarked. "Now you're the one that is holding us up."

"Shut up." Suzy said stubbornly; consequently, she stumbled towards the party with a vice like grip upon Nicola's arm.

Suzy, Nicola and Alice eventually reached the scene of the party where they encountered the sight of Arthur bellowing at Merlin.

"SO YOU USED A SPELL TO HEAL HARRY?" Arthur demanded hotly. "All this time you were letting me believe that your healing abilities came from draughts and potions that Gaius had created! When really, it is you that has been sneaking around casting spells behind my back!"

Merlin's attempt to reply was drowned out by Arthur's shouting.

"How can I trust you, Merlin?" Arthur snarled. "When after all the years we've known each other, you clearly don't trust me."

"Because I did that all for you!" Merlin choked out. "I thought you were friends with all of these people! And so, I helped them as it meant that I would be helping you too!"

Arthur gaped at Merlin disbelievingly, storming away. He approached the Hufflepuffs near the food table. Alice, Nicola Suzy watched as Merlin hesitated, biting his lip, torn between giving his friend some space or chasing after Arthur.

Fred and George Weasley appeared with an armful of butterbeers which were readily accepted by Nicola. However, the bottle had not reached her lips yet when Nicola paused.

"Oh my god!" Nicola exclaimed. "That was Merlin! Oh my god! I must go and introduce myself to him!"

Nicola started to tear off. "Hi!"

Alice lunged, managing to stop her friend.

"What on Earth?"Alice winced. "Who are you and what have you done with Nicola?"

"Nope, it's me" Nicola chirped. "No polyjuice whatsoever."

Alice shook her head. "You can't even be drunk yet."

Suzy, conscious of crowd of DA members watching this strange interaction, sighed. She tugged at her companions and the trio joined the party.

~x~O~x~

"So Harry, what are we going to do next?" In the midst of wild dancing, Seamus turned around and patted Harry on the back.

"And how are we going to beat You-Know-Who?" Dean added.

"No guys, listen to me." Harry stated. "_I'm _going to defeat Voldemort. You guys have done enough for me already. I don't need you to do anything else for me."

Finding the questions stifling, Harry forced his way through the partying throng. He made sure to avoid Ginny, not willing to endure her needless fussing. He also had to dodge other DA members who echoed Dean and Seamus's sentiments.

Eventually, Harry decided to leave the party all together and went up onto the boat's deck. There, he was surprised to find Neville who had gone to get some fresh air. Harry gazed at Neville speculatively; there was something which had been bothering him for a while.

"Why did you come out into the battle with me?" Harry broke the comfortable silence.

"Because I am your friend." Neville answered serenely. "That is what friends do."

Harry considered this. "What about the rest of the DA?"

"Because they are your friends too." Neville said.

Harry contemplated. He was lost in thought when Luna turned up and went with Neville back to the party. Ever since he was a young child, Harry had become accustomed to being alone. Growing up in the cupboard under the stairs of the Dursley household, Harry had realised that the Dursleys were neglecting him and he would have to fend for himself. Every night, Harry stole food. When he entered school, Harry had hoped that circumstances would change. He wished that someone would want to look out for him. However, Dudley's bullying meant that none of the other children were willing to become his friend. That would turn on him, cowed by his obese cousin, taunting him. Harry had seeked help among his teachers and the school nurse. However, the Dursleys had convinced them that Harry was little more than a troublemaking liar. So, Harry had learned not to count on others. He didn't need them. He couldn't rely on them.

But now, finally, Harry recognised that things had changed. The DA's support was only the final nail in the coffin. Before then, Neville and Luna had constantly stood by his side. Despite the Prophet's smear campaign, they had believed him about Voldemort coming back. Harry could also see that Ginny's 'fussing' was because she genuinely cared about him, a sensation he was unused to because few adults had been truly concerned about his welfare before. Moreover, although Ron's insecurities had caused the pair to fight at the beginning of the Triwizard tournament, Harry remembered how the redhead would later stay up with him researching in the library or when he sacrificed himself during the chess game which allowed Harry to get to the Philosopher's stone. Furthermore, how could he forget Hermione? She helped him every day with understanding classwork. But, simultaneously, Harry understood that Hermione had allowed him to achieve a lot more – such as enabling him to rescue Sirius from the Dementors.

Harry smiled to himself.

'So, this is what having friends feels like' He thought to himself.

And then the smile dropped. Harry hurried back to the party. He still needed to apologise to Ginny for being an arse.

~x~O~x~

"Here, have some of this dip!" Luna proclaimed, gesturing towards a bowl of green paste, near where Merlin was hovering. "It'll make sure you don't get attacked by a blibbering humdinger."

The reactions to Luna's announcement were varied. Ginny and Suzy both looked dubious but Neville humoured his friend, grabbing a cracker and covering it with dip.

"No, look at me, I'm as thin as a stick. I can't eat any more." Alice squeaked. "And I don't think this dip is my thing anyway."

Nicola snorted and reached for the dip. Nicola ate everything.

"What's a blibbering humdinger?" Arthur enquired, suddenly appearing behind Nicola.

At the same moment, Nicola realised that the green paste was avocado and knowing that avocado would make her feel sick, spun around to avoid throwing up on her friends. As it was, Nicola watched in horror as her vomit sailed towards Arthur.

Before it vanished into thin air.

Startling Arthur so much that he jumped and spilled butterbeer on himself.

"What was that?" Arthur yelped. "What just happened?"

As Alice and Suzy offered Nicola some water, Neville and Ginny looked around.

Luna, however, was unperturbed.

"Isn't it obvious?" She gestured back towards the food table.

All eyes spun to where Merlin was standing. His hand was slightly outstretched and his irises held traces of gold.

"Merlin?" Arthur muttered.

Without speaking, Merlin collected several serviettes and approached the group. He began to dab at the butterbeer speckling Arthur's shirt.

"What?" Arthur spluttered. "Excuse us." He and Merlin moved aside.

Harry entered in their place.

"Ginny, I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier." He announced. "I understand that you were just looking out for me. I was irritated and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Ginny smiled and wrapped Harry into a warm embrace.

"Thanks for being a great friend." Harry told her before addressing the others. "And thanks to everyone else for supporting me as well."

"Oh, I do like it when things work out." Luna trilled dreamily.

~x~O~x~

Arthur led Merlin towards a quieter corner, away from prying eyes. Immediately, Merlin reached over to continue cleaning Arthur's shirt.

Arthur pushed Merlin away.

"Why are you doing that?" Arthur asked. "Everyone has been saying how you are this great wizard. Why are you still behaving like my servant?"

"Because it's my destiny." Merlin replied softly. "It's been my destiny to serve you since the day we first met."

Arthur grunted. "You mean the day I thought you were an idiotic bratish kid and tried to take your head off with a mace?"

"Yeah." Merlin frowned. "I'm glad you didn't though."

"But what I don't understand is why you never told me." Arthur responded.

"I wanted to but you would have chopped my head off." Merlin chuckled but quickly became serious. "And I didn't want to put you in that position."

"I'm still the same person." Merlin added, uncomfortable with the blonde boy's prolonged silence.

"I trusted you." Arthur stated.

Merlin winced. "I'm sorry."

"Forgive me, please?"

~x~O~x~

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! Hope you guys are enjoying this story. Thoughts?_


	4. Brainwave

**THE SECOND RISING OF ARTHUR PENDRAGON**

**Chapter Three:**

It sounded so simple. Forgive me. Please.

It wasn't that simple.

Arthur wanted to be angry. He had been furious merely hours before. He wanted to cling onto the grudge against magic which had been perpetuated by his father throughout childhood. Magic is bad. Magic killed your mother. - Uther had always said. Magic is bad. Magic was used by Morgana.

But from speaking with the DA, Arthur knew that magic could be used for both good and evil.

And this was Merlin. Merlin who was staring at him with both misery and hope while biting his lip like a dejected puppy. The same Merlin who had helped him sort out his feelings for Gwen and had never left him astray. Merlin, who risked his life entering battle scenes alongside Arthur, even though he wore no armour and didn't really know how to fight. Arthur also remembered how Merlin had drunk poison for him when Nimeuh had poisoned his chalice. Merlin, who had defended him, even when he was being a prat.

Next, Arthur thought about the occasions where Merlin may have used magic. He had always felt strange about his escapade as 'simpleton' Arthur. In hindsight, Arthur realised that Merlin was right to get him out of Camelot; he had been thoroughly shaken by Agravaine's betrayal. The sword in the stone had reeked of being a magical fiasco. Yet, Merlin had used it so that Arthur resumed faith in himself. More recently, Merlin had 'found' a way through the Impenetrable Forest, helping Arthur and the knights rescue Gwen from the Dark Tower.

Arthur imagined himself in Merlin's shoes. He could understand how Merlin would have been too scared of getting killed to reveal his magic. Yet, simultaneously, Merlin had continuously risked everything by using his magic to help Arthur. Had their situations been reversed, Arthur wasn't certain that he would have managed to be so selfless.

"Okay."

Merlin's breath hitched.

"You're my friend, Merlin." Arthur murmured. "And even with magic, I can now see that you have always been a great friend to me."

It took a moment before Merlin comprehended that Arthur was serious. Merlin let out a laugh in relief.

Merlin leapt forwards and flung himself into Arthur's arms. Merlin buried his head into Arthur's chest.

"I'm sorry." He gasped.

"It's alright." Arthur stated.

"No." Merlin moaned. "I'm sorry that I couldn't save you."

Merlin jammed his eyes shut, whimpering as he recalled his feelings of failure and how he had despised himself following Arthur's death. Merlin remembered how life had seemed so meaningless – so meaningless that Merlin had considered killing himself. Sometimes, it was only his promise to wait for Arthur's return holding him back.

"I had to find you." Merlin sobbed. "When I knew you were back, I did everything I could to return to you."

"For god's sake, stop crying like a girl Merlin."

~x~O~x~

Back at Hogwarts, Voldemort was raging. He could not believe that Dumbledore had left the school; Voldemort had been so looking forward to killing that old man with far too many middle names!

However, he was even more frustrated that Harry Potter had managed to escape Hogwarts. And had somehow taken his closest friends with him! Nobody had any clue where the blasted boy might be! Although some people claimed that Dark Lords didn't have feelings, Voldemort had been almost giddy at the prospect of finally getting revenge over the boy-who-really-shouldn't-have-lived! Voldemort sulked as he enjoyed mental images of bashing black-haired babies with a dummy.

"My Lord, we have an entire castle full of children." A random death eater goon intoned. "Why don't we just kill them all instead?"

"Crucio!" Voldemort pointed at the goon; he was fantasising about killing Harry Potter and did not want any other snotty kids to distract him from his fantasies of killing Harry Potter.

Although, Voldemort conceded that the goon may have had a point. A huge smile stretched across his face and Voldemort had to refrain from bouncing in excitement. He had just had a brainwave!

"We will tell every newspaper in the world that we will kill a group of school children every hour!" Voldemort announced to his death eaters. "And we will only stop killing when Harry Potter comes back to Hogwarts and surrenders to me!"

Voldemort basked in the awesomeness of his plan. He was certain that Harry Potter's hero complex would mean that the boy gave himself up. Then, Voldemort would kill him. After which Voldemort would stop feeling insecure about being beaten by a baby.

Only Snape didn't share Voldemort's enthusiasm. He expected Potter to be too-noble-for-his-own-bloody-good and come running. Thus, as soon as he was alone, Snape sent a Patronus warning Harry to stay away.

~x~O~x~

"Harry, don't be stupid!" Hermione screeched. "Snape sends you a Patronus saying that it's a trap but you still want to go back to Hogwarts anyway!"

"Wouldn't put it past Snape to be a lying git." Ron grumbled.

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked. "He helped us! He's on our side!"

"Yeah but he doesn't have a history of liking school children." Harry pointed out. "I don't think he'd mind if all of them died."

Hermione deflated. "Good point."

The argument caused Suzy to wake up from her nap and accidentally smack Nicola in the face.

"So, I need to go find a way back to Hogwarts." Harry raised a hand to stall any objections. "Alone."

Pandemonium occur causing Harry to shout out even louder to regain the assorted DA members' attention.

"It's not that I don't appreciate you guys wanting to help me out." Harry constantly repeated. "But it will be easier for just me to sneak into the castle undetected."

"And even if you're not there, you're helping me in other ways!" Harry yelled. "Like Fred and George, can I get some of your decoy detonators?"

"Wait, hang on a moment." Arthur interjected. "That is utterly stupid. You can't storm a castle all by yourself. And even if you did – how do you plan on killing Voldemort?"

"Tell me about Voldemort." Merlin spoke out. "Maybe some of my old magic will be able to help you out."

Hence, a plan was hatched up.

~x~O~x~

When Merlin had inspected Harry's lightning bolt curse scar, he had determined that Harry and Voldemort were connected by destiny. Thus, Merlin concluded that Harry needed to be the one who killed Voldemort. Merlin also figured that due to the ritual Voldemort had used to resurrect his body, Voldemort could only be killed using a sword blessed by dragon fire.

This was how Harry and Merlin came to be in the tunnels underneath Hogwarts. Harry was carrying Excalibur, which had been lent to him by Arthur. Merlin had 'willed' the pair into Hogsmeade. Since this transportation used old magic, they subsequently could not be detected by Voldemort's wards.

Using the Marauder's map, Harry and Merlin navigated the secret passages, entering Hogwarts via the witch's hump on the third floor. Merlin disillusioned both of them while Harry threw some of Fred and George's joke products, which distracted and attacked the death eaters which were lingering nearby.

Harry checked the Marauder's map. He noticed that Voldemort was in the Great Hall, occupying Dumbledore's usual seat. He was surrounded by death eaters. Harry and Merlin snuck inside. They remained invisible. Merlin was certain that only powerful sorceresses such as Nimeuh and Morgause would be able to see through his magic – this egotistical Voldemort had only a tiny fraction of their power. Unobserved, Harry and Merlin edged to the centre of the staff table.

Before Harry jumped out and thrust Excalibur through Voldemort's chest.

Voldemort slumped over like a rag doll.

Harry came into view as Merlin disappeared before re-appearing, bringing Arthur and the rest of the DA with him.

This had been Arthur's contribution to the plan. Drawing upon how his sudden emergence had dumbfounded the pirate ship, Arthur had guessed that the death eaters would be so surprised by the DA's arrival that combined with their shock of Voldemort just dying, they would become sitting ducks.

Arthur guessed correctly. The DA shot basic spells including Expelliarmus and the jelly legs jinx but the death eaters failed to cast shield charms to protect themselves. Ginny's bat bogeys were lethal while Ron's blasting curses hit their mark. Hermione's wand movements were scary in their precision. Neville and Luna danced gleefully around each other. The DA were hitting their (stationary) targets so well that Arthur had enough time to take Excalibur back from Harry and cut down some death eaters himself.

Alice was getting creative. "Accio death eater!" She cried, hoping to summon him onto a rack of dinner knives. "Damn, that didn't work."

Soon, all of the death eaters were missing body parts or lying on the ground. Except for Snape who had removed his hood and wisely gotten out of the DA's way.

"What is going on here?" A booming voice caused all heads to pivot towards the entrance of the Great Hall.

Dumbledore and the Order had finally arrived.

Oh wells. At least they arrived early enough to help clean up Hogwarts.

~x~O~x~

"So, what happens now?" Harry asked.

"Well, Suzy and I are going back home." Alice answered. "And after that drama which just happened, we're thinking of taking an extended vacation in Australia."

"And I'm going to Canada." Nicola added.

Merlin and Arthur muttered among themselves. They decided to go travelling together and explore the new world they were in. This caused many of the girls to start sighing as the two men gave the DA handshakes and hugs.

"Thanks for everything that you have done." Harry told Merlin and Arthur.

"Any time." They responded warmly.

Harry smiled wryly as he joined the DA in waving goodbye. Arthur and Merlin walked onto the grounds before Merlin worked his magic and they were gone.

"Party in the room of requirement!" Someone shouted.

_Finis._

~x~O~x~

_A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Hope you enjoyed this story and review :)_

_~livebyinsanity_


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